thanks for watching! have a good night. hope to see you tomorrow! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ this morning on "early today," decision time. from washington to wisconsin, time is running out for budgets hanging in limbo. power punch, a tornado-packed weather system slams parts of the south. and road hazard. a driver in brazil plows into a group of bicyclists. captions paid for by nbc-univerl television hello and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry. today, we begin with down to the wire. lawmakers in washington say they've made progress as they scramble to compromise on the nation's expiring budget.

meanwhile, wisconsin's governor has laid down an ultimatum for democrats still hiding out over controversial budget cuts there. tracie potts has the latest from there. >> reporter: good morning from a misty capitol hill, as can you see, but the work goes on, and today the house will debate this -- what appears to be a compromise, a republican plan, to extend the current spending level for two weeks, but to cut $4 billion out of that spending over the next two weeks. all of that to avoid a government shutdown on friday. senate democrats seem to be on board with this, though some democrats are concerned that those cuts are wreck ands will disproportionately affect education. later this week they're also going to vote on the debt and whether we can continue to make those payments if we hit that debt limit in about a month or so. let's head to wisconsin where that state's budget battle has really taken center stage this week. today is the governor's deadline for 14 senate democrats to come

out of hiding, come back to the state, and vote on restructuring the state's debt. he says if they don't, they will lose $165 million, but word from those democrats is that they will not come back today. the governor is expected to give his state of the state address where he will unveil the rest of his budget and the things that he would like to cut in wisconsin. expect some fireworks there in wisconsin today. lynn. >> tracie potts from washington. tracie, thank you. meanwhile, as moammar gadhafi struggles to maintain power in libya, u.s. officials are calling him delusional. after he denied attacking his own people. underscoring his lack of touch with reality as his regime crumbles throughout the country, qadhafi told interviews, "all my people love me." jim meseda has more. >> reporter: despite a ring of soldiers and heavy armor around the city, inside libyans were daring to protest. this funeral for a man shot in the head by a sniper turned into

an anti-gadhafi demonstration. and just as quickly ended after someone firing a round. many are standing hours outside banks to collect aç $400 houndt from the regime in a desperate effort to buy support. everyone here seems to expect civil war, and the government stokes the fear. >> hundreds of thousands, and i repeat hundreds of thousands of libyans will be killed and destruction everywhere for possibly years to come. >> reporter: throughout libya, battle lines are being drawn. this amateur video apparently shows a gun battle raging between pro and anti-government forces at the site of an air base about 100 miles east of treply with both sides fighting to a standstill. further east in benghazi, under opposition control volunteers signed up to participate in the battle. back in tripoli, gadhafi's

regime remains in charge. there's an increasing sense of foreboding here. many libyans believe gadhafi when he says that he'll turn this country red with fire rather than being defeated. i'm jim maceda, northbound news reporting from tripoli. now back to you. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. in tennessee, it was a one-two combination of mother nature's worst. a severe storm system formed high winds and heavy rain causing flash flooding and destruction of homes. in one area, officials believe tornados ripped through, but the national weather service has not been able to confirm. in north carolina, an explosion of glass and metal was caught on a tape when a bus crashed into a boutique. the driver crossed through oncoming traffic and drove through a garden of shrubery. the driver has no memory of the accident. finally, in iowa a stretch of highway offered drivers a

spectacular show of wildlife. dozens of bald eagles could be seen perched on a tree and then tree in the small wildlife areas. some motorists pulled over to snap photos while others marvelled at the rare sighting that made a few of them come too a screeching halt. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather chabl forecast. good morning. >> welcome to march, huh? >> came in pretty loudly. >> with those severe storms. incredible, lynn. we had 164 reports of severe weather yesterday. mostly through the southeast, the tennessee valley sweeping to the east coast. unfortunately, we go to that one fatality where the tornadoes are outside of chattanooga. that's showed by the red eye here. that's gone now, and much of the country is pretty quiet. the exception? our friends in the pacific northwest. the pesky storm isç sitting ju off the coast of british columbia, and it's just funneling in that moisture just north of a warm front here. especially around the portland area this morning. high elevations are going to pick up considerable amounts of

snow over the next couple of days. this cold front is dropping down some really cold canadian air too for our friends up around the northern rockies and up through montana. here's a look at the radar. the white is the snow. widespread in high country outside of portland. the city itself is just dealing with a cold rain, and you notice this plume of moisture streams back up from spokane. as far as our computers are saying, the snow totals will be impressive over the next 24 to 48 hours. as much as one to two feet in the northern cascades and all the way down outside of portland and spokane up into the mountains there in northern idaho. also getting nailed. the forecast for today, a cold rain around portland and seattle. we're okay down in areas of california, nevada, and arizona. still a little chilly, but we're starting to recover there in phoenix. that's a look at your tuesday forecast.

rain. the snow conditions are still low for this time of year. lynn, the forecast does not get any better as we go throughout the first couple of days. except there's one spot that did come in like a lion. march, it looks like the northwest. >> bill, thank you so much. well, oil drops, and stocks climb, and wall street goes m & a crazy. that's straight ahead. plus, is it a train wreck meltdown or a cry for help? another today show interview with charlie sheen. coming up, the nets and suns come down to the final shot. kansas state peaks at the right time, and how much would it take for you to play for the washington wizards? you're watching "early today."

good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. two "discovery" shuttle astronauts have completed their

mission's first space walk after experiencing a minor glitch yesterday. a robot arm shut down, leaving one astronaut stranded, gripping a refrigerator size ammonias -- ammonium pump for an extra 20 minutes, not wanting to lose it. asked if he was comfortable web replied, i'm fine as long as it's not too much longer. a lawyer for the couple accused of kidnapping jaycee lee dugard and holding her prison for three years says they've confessed. nancy garrido came clean hoping for a lesser sentence for nancy. a houston fire department says a home day care operator charged in connection with a deadly fire that killed four children has fled the united states and is now in nigeria, where she is from originally. the united states marshal service has been asked to track her down. shocking video out of brazil showed the moment when a driver plowed through a group of bicyclists. they were staging a peaceful demonstration there last week.

amazingly, no one was killed, and the nine people hurt have all been released from the hospital. and hollywood is mourning the loss of sex symbol and actress jane russell who starred in movies such as "the outlaw," and "judge prefer blondes." her family says she died of respiratory failure yesterday at the age of 89. >> and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,286 after gaining 95 points yesterday. the s&p added 7 points. the nasdaq edged up 1 point. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei climbed 129 points while in hong kong, the hang seng rose 58. easing oil prices and signs of a strengthening economy put wall street back on firm footing monday. oil prices fell to about $97 a barrel on news saudi arabia was boosting exports. data showed consumer income rose by the largest amount in nearly two years in january and factory activity in the country's midwest hit a 22 1/2 years high

this month ahead of today's national report. also help berkshire hathaway's warren buffett saying he is itchy to make more big acquisitions, as if on cue, deals broke out all over. ventis, which owns senior housing communities, is buying nationwide health for $5.8 billion. health care reit is buying the assets of gensess health care for $2.4 billion. and late last night blackstone group announced buying 588 u.s. shopping mall assets from australia's centro properties for $9.4 billion. elsewhere, the u.s. has approved the first deep water drilling permit in the gulf of mexico since last year's massive oil spill. today, fed chief ben bernanke delivers his twice a year ç economic report to congress. also today treasury secretary timothy geithner will tell a house committee the administration wants congress to

overhaul fannie mae and freddie mac, the nation's troubled housing finance giant. finally, heidi," germany's cross-eyed celebrity possum came up one pig short of perfectly predicting the oscars in 127 hours to win best picture. pretty impressive, heidi. i love that. coming up, nba drama. top ten college hoop battles, and a player giving up millions so he doesn't have to play for one team. plus. the nets try to block out the sun in new jersey. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. so much for in like a lion and out like a lamb. give that lion a pair of sunglasses. your tuesday forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, it's common to hear folks complain about professional athletes and their salaries these days. but the case of mike dippy is truly unique. here's nbc's fred rot(jru)u$ an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. you know a team is bad when a guy turns down millions to play for them. that's the choice mike biddy made. after being traded to the washington wizards, bibby refused to play and forfeited $4.6 million. for that's kind of money, i'd pay for the washington generals.

you can't put a price on happiness and no one likes to lose. the bulls crushed them in d.c. from start to finish. chicago dominated, 105-77. nets haven't won much, either, but maybe this would help. final seconds of the first quarter, sasha nailed the buzzer beater from half-court. the suns were up after one. lopez getting the better of it here. minutes later, humphries had his revenge. rejecting it at the rim and took him down. the game went into overtime. darren williams had a chance to be the hero, but he missed the lay-up. humphries was there for the putback but didn't get it up in time, suns escaped, 104-103. of course, williams traded from the jazz, and the utah could have used him against the celts. ray allen hit a three-runs a minute to play. he had 25. celts win it, 107-102 in utah. nuggets put together another impressive win. raymond felton to j.r. smith for the ally oop. these guys have played together

for only a few games. denver beat atlanta, 100-90. college basketball senior night for the fighting irish, ben hansbrough was honored and celebrated dropping 30 on number 19 villanova. tim alameda knocked down nine three-pointers, notre dame won, 93-72. finally, unranked kansas state has caught fire just in time for march madness. they upset texas in austin. they won their fifth straight, 75-70. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. the latest from charlie sheen. coming up, meet his so-called goddesses. early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, the story of one women's bebl coach's ultimate dedication to her team. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this tuesday. heavy rain in the portland area. snow up into the hills and the mountains. the rain will move back in today in seattle. a significant plume of moisture continuing in this region, and by tomorrow that storm system will move on shore and bringing the rain further to the south. even san francisco is going to get back into the wet stuff. kind of cloudy from l.a. to vegas tomorrow. phoenix holds on for one more day. well, if you are watching us

on news channel 8, portland, oregon, learn what american's service to the world has accomplished through artifacts and photography at peace corps 50shgs years of service at the oregon history museum. that's your pacific event of the day. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. charlie sheen's unprecedented public feud with cbs, his producers and the world marches on with no signs of slowing down. sheen followed up yesterday morning's stunning "today" show interview with a rambling live stream on an internet the website. by mid day, his veteran hollywood publicist had quit. he was then on another network in prime time competing against his own show "two and a half ç men" in some time zones. and he found some time with his current two live-in girlfriends who he calls the goddesses to sit down with jeff rossen for a new interview. >> do you get embarrassed that he called you the goddesses? >> why?

seems complimentary to me. >> it could be worse, man. >> run with that. run with that. >> in answer to your question, i told charlie that i knew then, i'm on the bus and i don't really care where the bus is going. that's how we live. what do you want to do today? done, let's do it. >> you can catch the entire interview with friends later this morning on "today" right here on this nbc station. bill, after seeing yesterday's interview, you sort of wonder where it can go next. >> yeah. i mean, this is like "the jersey shore" combined with hugh hefner. >> i'm sure charlie would love to hear that. >> it's like an implosion. >> it started bizarre, and it is -- >> he told jeff rossen during the interview that he is a comedian. he finds a lot of this funny. >> it would be interesting to see if this is all an act. i have a strong feeling it's not, but it would be interesting to see. >> well, this is coming to us from kxas, dallas, texas, where one coach put her team first to

almost a ridiculous extent. it was the third quarter of a pivotal game when coach amber went into labor. even contractions couldn't get her off the sidelines. she led her team to victory before delivering a beautiful baby girl. now, as if that wasn't enough, 16 hours later she was back on the court. inspired by their coach's die-hard dedication, amber's team earned a berth to the state tournament. no pressure there. >> i get it, a "birth" to the state tournament. >> i'm sorry it wasn't so obvious to you. >> you guys aren't crawling anymore. you're walking. >> we learn from the best, bill karins. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

hidden cameras have captured incredible and promising video in the philippines. inside an indonesian national park, movement showed four of the world's rarest rhinos wandering the forest. poachers had decimated their population in recent decades, but this new footage is giving experts new hope for the survival of one of the most endangered species. one museum in the philippines keeps fashion afoot by showing off its history. over 800 pairs of shoes, including those of the area's rich and famous, gives visitors a chance to experience a long-time local tradition. manual shoe making has existed here for hundreds of years and locals hope the museum brings

back the pastime which has faded over time. and from footwear to spy wear, american engineers are taking a cue from nature to build under water technology. the remote control sfooi spy aircraft is meant to look and function like a humming bird with a wing span of only six and a half inches. experts hope the device will be used to gather information without attracting too much attention. to test it out, i sent one down to the weather studio to watch what you say about me. >> and it has a microphone, too? >> yeah. >> i wish i had known that. don't show any of that footage. >> i'm always watching. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. negotiations will resume between the national football league's owners and its players union. a mediator has been overseeing the talks before a collective bargaining agreement expires on wednesday. in the nation's capital, officials for pacific gas and electric will face questions from the national transportation safety board about decisions they made prior to a pipeline explosion that killed eight people in california last

september. and today marks the beginning of national women's history month highlighting the extraordinary contributions women have made in the course of our nation's history. all day long, you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with nbc "nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. the latest live from libya as embattled leader moammar gadhafç speaks out defiantly insisting he's not going anywhere. and charlie sheen isn't done talking yet. meet the women he calls his goddesses in a new interview with nbc's jeff rossen. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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